The Elder Scrolls III: Heaven and Hell
by Peter.J.Gaffney
Summary: RalJille is an Argonian slave, liberated and imprisioned for murder. Shipped to Vvardenfell, can he rectify the mistakes of his past? And can he ever hope to shake off raving Dunmer believing him to be some Nerevar incarnate?This will be rather different
1. Porologue

**Authors Note:Do note, if you review I will accept CONSTRUCTIVE criticism. Any flaming will be ignored. ****I'll likely be re-writing this(once I finish the full piece), as currently I am writing as I play through the game with this particular character. This will not be your typical main quest story and such - it will involve things that I create and believe would happen between the various questing and such. It will also go a little beyond the end of the main quest.  
**

**The Elder Scrolls III**

**Morrowind**

**Heaven and Hell**

**The Dream**

That night, the seas were rough The Imperial prison ship, HMS Keeper, sailed across the violent seas and through the mighty storm. Within its hold, prisoner Juib was returning his pathetic lunch to the world by vomiting into a bucket. He lay in his hangar, too immersed in regurgitating his food to be concerned about his cell mate. In the rear cabin, on the bear floor, a tall Argonian lay sleeping. Not a single noise came from him other than his heavy breathing. He was not bothered by the storm one little bit – for the goddess Azura was sending him a vision. A vision that told him of his future in the world, he just didn't realise it yet...

"They have taken you from the Imperial cities prison, to the east, to Morrowind. Fear not, for I am watchful." - Azura

**Porologue**

The smell. It was the first thing I noticed as I stirred from my lengthily and quite painful slumber. I could smell a mixture of damp wood and stale bread all around me. My double lidded eyes blinked rapidly – glancing round, I recognised the familiar wooden panels of an Imperial prison ship. I was lying down on a hard, damp wooden floor with my feet's rear claws embedded deeply in a small bucket. Gently, I released my claws and rose from the ground. It was all coming back to me now...

"Are you ok?"

The voice made me jump slightly. Glancing round frantically, I discovered the familiar face of my 'cell mate': Juib. Juib was a middle aged, Dunmer man, with a scar running across one of his eyes. I suspected he had lost that eye in a desperate fight for freedom many years ago. For you see, he and I were both prisoners. Together, we had been released from our prison and placed on a boat. We were told nothing of our destination nor fate, only that we were 'being taken away for your own good'.

"Yes, I will be fine thank you."I replied. Juib seemed slightly sad for a brief moment as he frowned. The frown was barely noticeable, however I could understand why. Usually, when my kind said 'Yes', it came out as a hiss of sorts."How long was I out for?"

"I don't know. Even last nights storm couldn't wake you. What's your name?"

"Ral-Jille."

"I heard them say we've reached Morrowind: I'm sure they'll let us go!"Morrowind?

_Great!_ I thought angrily. _I'm being taken to the homeland of my arch nemesis!_

"Quiet, here comes the guard."Juib whispered sharply. Glancing out of the door and towards the stair well, I could clearly see a young Imperial dressed in some kind of light armour heading towards us.

"You – come with me."the guard order gruffly, gesturing half-heartedly at me. Part of me pondered whether or not I would be successful in pouncing him...after all, my claws were awfully sharp right now. Quickly, I discarded that thought. There was a slim chance I was alas destined to be released from the Imperial prisons. Slowly and not so gracefully, I followed the Imperial guard. I hear Juib whisper in my ear as I 'waddled' out.

"You better do what they say..."

_Great, now I'm taking advice from a Dunmer! _I thought angrily. The guard was awfully slow for my liking. It seemed like years had passed before we reached the latch to the deck.

"Lets try to get this a civil as possible..."the Imperial remarked snidely, making a face at me as I ascended the ladder slowly. I hated climbing ladders – this was due to the shaping of Argonian feet, which sadly meant the easiest way to climb was to claw the ladder to pieces. With my left hand, I nearly clawed the latch open. As the wooden door flung open and made a loud thudding noise on the deck, an overwhelming blast of fresh air flew into the ship. Oh, how refreshing that was! Instantly, my snout picked up the familiar scent – the scent of a swamp.

_I think...I might just enjoy my stay here..._

"Excuse me?"

For the second time this day, a voice made me jump. I had just climbed out of the ship(the guard closed the latch behind me of course) when a young Redguard interrupted me. He was staring at me and if you observed him closely enough, you could see a hint of fear in his eyes.

_New recruit..._ I mentally decided. Of course, I was quite an intimidating sight: my claws on both my feet and hands were of incredible length and my clothes were just slightly bloodied from an unfortunate accident before boarding.

"Yesssss?"I hissed back. The young man jumped backwards slightly. If I could smile, I would of.

"T – this is where they want you. Head down to Census office so they can r – release you." Just as the words were leaving the guards mouth, a second guard was striding up the dock platform. I moved swiftly towards him – the man bore the outfit of the Imperial Legion, therefore he was not working with the guards, merely co-operating with them. After I nearly fell off the gang way, he began to speak.

"Ah yes, we've been expecting you. We just don't know exactly _where _it is you come from..."I sighed – though that also resembled a long hiss.

"Despite your incredible idiocy, I am an Argonian from the Black Marsh."I replied slowly, to make him feel stupider than he already was.

"Yes...well..."he continued, brushing off the comment."If you'll follow me up to the office we'll finish your release."Once more, I found myself behind a dawdling Imperial. I took the opportunity to look around me – the town they'd deposited me in was only small. In front of us, there was a large building (I expected it was the Census Office), with an indoor bridge of sorts connecting to a moderate sized warehouse. From my vantage point, I could make out a handful of houses and a small two storied building. It was a truly beautiful morning – there were only a few clouds, the sun was shining...however the horizon was gloomy. Towards the sea, the storm that had savaged the _HMS Keeper _was still going strong. I suspected that it would hit the swampy region in a day or two. Not that it bothered me much – there were regular rain storms back in Argonia.

Inside the office, I was greeted by a balding and ageing monk. Most people would of called it cosy – luxuriously decorated, a large desk, comfortable chairs, a blazing fire, plenty of books...however, cosiness is not the same for my kind, for we are reptilian after all. The only cosiness we really know is sunlight. Nevertheless, the blazing fire provided some comfort.

"You'll have to fill out your papers before you're released."the monk told me. He was awful...joyous. He kept smiling and speaking in a light hearted voice throughout the whole time I was there."First, would you please inform me of your profession?"

_Profession? Hmm...I've never considered that...I suppose I'm a good marksman and decent with a long sword...I'm fast and agile..._

"I am an Archer."I am informed him. This was a lie really – I just decided on it based on my best skills. There was a reason my simple name was 'He-Who-Misses-Never'.

"Very well..."the old monk wrote something on a piece of parchment he had laid out on his desk."Now, according to the letter from the prison, you were born under a certain sign...and what would that be?"

"I was born under the sign of the Lady."This was a fact. Unlike the majority of my species, I speak quite clearly and very well. This could be considered as a characteristic of the Lady, due to the personalities and persuasive skills associated with her. In fact I wasn't quite sure how I knew this, as in Argonia we didn't bother with constellations as much as the easterners.

"Yes, well everything seems to be in order...if you would just review it please and tell me if there are any mistakes.."the monk passed me a scroll with my details written neatly on it. My eyes examined it for every little detail it possessed.

"Yes, everything is in perfect order."I informed him, blinking rapidly as I did so.

"Proceed to the captain to finish your release...take a left when you go through that door, straight through and then into the other part of the building."Following his instructions, I found myself in what appeared to be a dining room. Various dishes of food were laid out, various books and drinks were on shelves, a dagger impaled a piece of paper firmly on the dining table and a small box was laid at the bottom of the bookcase to the left. After much investigating, I discovered the box contained some gold. Not exactly a massive fan of the Imperials right now, I pocketed it along with a drink, a piece of bread and the dagger. I proceeded through the door and outside. A stone wall blocked me from continuing any further, so I went left. After investigating a barrel and taking a small ring(which was engraved with strange symbols), I finally found the captain. I handed in my papers and received 'orders' to deliver a package to Caius Coasades in Balmora. Finally, I stepped out of the door and into the marsh land I now knew to Seyda Neen. And It reminded me greatly...of home. Most importantly though, I was free. Free after a long life of slavery and prison.

**Little would Ral-Jille realise however, that his role in events to come would restrict that freedom very much so...**

**A/N: If you're wondering where the character actually begins to think about the dream, look for the end of Chapter 1.  
**


	2. Chapter 1

**The Elder Scrolls III**

**Morrowind**

**Heaven and Hell**

**Chapter I**

**To Balmora**

Barely after I made it out of the Office, I ran into a fretting Bosmer. He was quite close to the office, pacing round and fretting about something or another. He was only short(as are all of his kind) and had tanned skin. He was blonde haired and his eyes were very dominant. The odd thing about him was that his eyes were completely black, except for a minute colouring round what was apparently a very small pupil. He seemed friendly enough at least and I soon found myself engaged in a rather one sided conversation.

"Well, hello stranger. You're not from round these parts are you? Well, you must be the one the boat dropped off...what's you're name?"before I even had the opportunity to answer, let alone open my mouth, he continued."I'm sorry to trouble you – sorry, I didn't quite catch your name? Oh, Ral-Jille. Well, I'm sorry to trouble you Ral-Jille, but have you by any chance seen my magic ring? It's engraved with runes and also has healing properties. It's very valuable to me – I suspect those Imperials took it. They always bully me you know, those Imperials...always searching me for no reason..."Within a few moments of this I found myself grasping for the ring I'd found earlier from my pouch.

"Here! Take it!"I hissed, quickly shoving it into the palm of his left hand and closing his fist around it.

"My ring! My magic ring! You found it!"the Bosmer exclaimed, jumping for joy."Oh thank you so much. Tell you what, I'll put in a good word with Arille for you! Oh he's a charming chap that High Elf – my name's Fargoth by the way – such a charming chap our Arille. He runs the local trade house. Which reminds me, did you hear about that fraud up in Balmora, some skooma addicted cat selling fake daedric weapons?"

And the conversation dragged on...and on...and on. It seemed like hours had passed before I actually got away from him. Indeed, at least one had passed! True to his word however, I observed him proceed to the two storied building I now knew to be Arille's Tradehouse. After a few minutes(of lengthy conversation no doubt), the hyperactive wood elf emerged. Quietly, I walked away from the direction he was headed in. Finally, I had a chance to take in my surroundings! Just by looking at one of the buildings, you could tell Seyda Neen was not a bustling metropolis. It was a small port, in some forsaken swamp region of Vvardenfell. Mostly, it was just houses and shacks dotted randomly around the Census office. A few guards patrolled the area to keep vermin out – other than that, there was nothing to see or do. I decided my best bet would be to visit this Arille and then make my way to Balmora...wherever that was.

Arille's Tradehouse was a small place but it's owner(Arille...naturally) had a fairly impressive stock given his limits.

"Greetings."I said.

"Welcome to Arille's Tradehouse."the altmer man replied somewhat dully. I gathered he was not exactly in the greatest mood right now. I was wrong however – he soon perked up as he continued his introduction. "I barter for goods or coin. I also have a small selection of spells for sale. No credit. You want a little advice? That's free. That's ALL free. Would you like to hear our most popular potions? Our most popular scrolls?"

"You mentioned a little of advice..."I replied, curious now as to what he would tell me."What would that be?"

"A little advice? Well, if you want to live to a ripe old age, buy a weapon and as much armour as you can wear and still run from trouble. Buy a spell or two. And practice your skills. Don't practice on citizens. We call that foul murder here."At the word 'murder' I preformed the equivalent of an Argonian wince."And we don't like it. But you can kill smugglers and bandits and other outlaws all you like. Outlaws have no rights. Plenty of adventurers make a living from killing and looting outlaws. That smuggler scum down in Addamasartus, for instance. They have a cave down by the stilt strider platform."  
"Well...I'll certainly take all that on board."I told him, now a little uneasy about this man."May I see your stock?"

"Oh, of course sir!"In the end, I bought myself a Nordic fur cuirass and some chitin pauldrons and gauntlets. Following that, I bought myself a short bow, one hundred arrows and an iron broadsword. I had the impression from Arille that life was going to be more difficult than I anticipated.

"Will that be all?"Arille asked me(now considerably happier)as I finished suiting up in my new mixed armour collection.

"Yes, yes it will be."I replied.

"Seeing as you're new here, I'd recommend you go upstairs. I hear Hrisskar is offering work for anyone willing to earn some extra septims."

"I'll do that."

Hrisskar, I soon discovered, was a Nord looking for someone to settle some financial issues. He wanted someone to find Fargoth's stash. Apparently, Fargoth had been hoarding and stealing a fair amount of money. In the end, I agreed to do the job for him. Hrisskar informed me I should find a good vantage point and watch Fargoth's moves at night fall. Taking his advice, I found myself camped out atop of the lighthouse at the edge of Seyda Neen. I sat on the hard stone slabs, unpacking my drink and bread loaf from earlier. All I had to do was wait. Ordinarily, I would never of even dreamed of just sitting there till nightfall. However, Seyda Neen was not exactly tourist attraction of the century. I started thinking back to my time on the prison ship...most notably my time only a few hours ago in the hold. I remembered having a very peculiar dream...I saw barren landscapes, filled with ash and dead plant life. Bizzare creatures roamed the lands and violent storms below clouds of ash across the small island of Vvardenfell. All through the dream, a voice spoke to me. The voice sounded wrong somehow...like it was gentle and cruel at the same time.

_Bah!_ I thought angrily. _Listen to yourself Ral-Jille! What would your father think of you, panicking about stupid dreams? Leave that to the druids and wise men!_

Many, many hours passed before it was dark. My drink and loaf of bread were long since devoured and I was beginning to give up hope of ever catching Fargoth visiting his stash. Just as I was about to prepare to depart the lighthouse, I noticed an unusual moment in the shadows of the small Seyda Neen cottages. I focused on the movement, not blinking with either of my eye lids. I noticed a distinct shape in the shadows – humanoid, small and adapted to stealthy movement. It was Fargoth. For the next few minutes I watched the figure intently – it was gradually moving towards an old hallowed tree stump in the centre of a small marshy pond. It spent a few minutes organising something deep in the stump before moving back away, towards the main area of town. Fargoth had been fortunate – a guard was just coming toward the pond on his midnight rounds as he slipped away. Within moments I was down the lighthouse, in the pond and searching through the tree stumps inner depths.

"Aha..."I hissed quietly to myself, extracting a small lock pick and three hundred septims. I also found the magical ring of Fargoth's. After a moments hesitation, I pocketed it all and discreetly made my way to Arille's Tradehouse.

"Excellent!"Exclaimed Hrisskar as he laid eyes on the three hundred septims. I was holding them out before the Nord, my hand grasping the small pouch from its base."May I?"

"Of course."I replied, chucking the pouch into his hand gently. He counted it coin for coin three times, ensuring his full amount of money was there.

"Now, for the matter of payment?"I inquired, staring at him with unblinking eyes.

"Ah...well, tell you what: I'll let you have one hundred coins and allow you to keep any other items you found."he told me.

"Hmm...acceptable, Hrisskar. It's been a pleasure doing business with you."

_Now to get out of this town..._ I thought, pocketing the one hundred septims and making my way of Arille's Tradehouse.

"Why walk when you can ride?"

An odd slogan to advertise your business but and effective one.

"Are you sure it's safe?"I inquired.

"Perfectly – believe me, Stilt strider's never hurt anyone, nor let anyone fall out. Same low cost for you as well, outlander."

I was standing on the wooden ramp leading to the colossal insect known as a Stilt Strider. I was only a little bit out of town and much of Seyda Neen was still visible. Stilt Striders, I soon learnt, were the primary form of transport on Vvardenfell excluding walking through the wilderness. And after my brief encounter with Arille, walking was not something I wanted to do right now.

"Hmm...how much is it to ride?"  
"Where to?"  
"Balmora."  
"29 gold coins for a one way trip to Balmora per person, no additional cargo fee."Reluctantly, I accepted his offer and slipped into a seat behind the driver of the insect. Seeing that no one else was to accompany me, the driver took the 'helm' of the strider.

The ride to Balmora was perfectly bumpy and not exactly enjoyable. The seats were carved out of the strider's own flesh and though they had protective material on, you still couldn't help but be disgusted. The driver controlled the strider through a series of exposed neural tissues which acted like a wheel on a ship. I had waited till morning to catch this Strider, allowing me some rest. Despite this, night fell about two thirds of the way into the journey. Looking at the distant horizon when we were near the coast, it was pretty clear that the storm was looming a lot closer. In two more days at the most, it would rain at the least. The driver was a very quiet sort of fellow and a middle aged Dunmer. He probably had pretty poor views on Argonian's, given his kind were used to having mine working for them as slaves in noble houses. By the time we had arrived at Balmora, it was well past midnight. The sky was however, clear and full of stars. To my grave disappointment, Balmora was _not _a swamp. Instead, it was...well, urban.

Balmora was divided more or less in half by the River Odai, which ran through the cities heart. There were bridges that crossed the Odai, connecting Trade Street to Labour Street. Trade Street was one big market and the home of the Fighters and Mages Guilds. In the 'market' of sorts, there was a bookseller, a pawnshop, an armourer, a general trader and an outfitter. Towards the top end of Trade Street dwelled two inns, The Rat in the Hole and the Eight Plates. The Eight Plates was general a more favourable place. Many, many people dwelled in Balmora. Indeed, it's population was probably one of the largest in Vvardenfell. I suspected that I would find Caius on Labour Street, though I was given the location of a contact who could help me find him. The only problem? I don't know how to get to that contact. I made it my first priority to discover where to go – I was informed the South Wall would likely know his whereabouts. The first citizen I ran into was an attractive young Dunmer woman named Dralosa. After dispensing with the pleasantries, I asked her immediately where I could find the South Wall corner club. She told me to go to the south end of Labour Street on the east end of the city. Walking swiftly across the bridge and onto Labour Street, I found the building I believed to be the club. Sure enough, the large flag hanging on a stick outside read "South Wall Corner Club". I quickly discovered the interior of the club was virtually a gangs hide out as it was owned by the Thieves Guild. After a lot of quizzing and questioning, the owner of the club final gave me directions to find Caius. After jotting them down in my journal I thanked him and bolted from the club. The less time I spent with fellow criminals, the better. After all this time, dawn was slowly creeping closer. I made straight for Caius' house.

"Excuse me?"

"What?"

"Are you one Caius Cosades? I've been ordered to report to you."

I was currently standing in the doorway of the home of who I hoped the be Caius Coasades, the man the Census Office Captain had told me to report to as soon as possible. I couldn't shake the feeling that perhaps coming here was a mistake – as though I would regret coming here for the rest of my life if I made a mistake.

"Yes,"the man replied. He was an Imperial, that much was clear by the way in which he spoke."I'm Caius Cosades. But, what do you mean you were told to 'report to Caius Cosades'?"Clearly, this Caius had not had any kind of forewarning of my coming to meet him.

_How delightful...the Imperials in this land are not only incredibly thick skulled, they are also very bad messengers..._

"I was shipped here, to Vvardenfell, aboard a ship. In the Seyda Neen office they gave me this package – they told me I should report to you as soon as possible."As I finished my sentence I handed him both the package and the letter I had received from the Census office."My name is Ral-Jille."

"Yes. Very interesting..."Caius muttered as he inspected the package's contents."It says here,"he continued, this time speaking in a much louder voice."That the Emperor wants me to make you a novice in the Blades. That means, my friend, that you'll be following my orders? Are you ready to follow _my _orders Ral-Jille?" Now this is what I call a difficult decision. That name...the Blades...sounded familiar. I clearly could remember my old master, a Dunmer who lived in the Vvardenfell graze lands(this was actually my third trip to Morrowind), talking about the Blades just before he had mysteriously passed away. He had been worried about something – about someone out after his life.

_Oh, by the Hist...I hope this isn't a bounty hunter's guild...it's bad enough I just got released after a murder charge..._

"Yes."

One little word – that one little word shocked me so much as it came out of my mouth.

"Good."Caius replied. He sounded like a rough sort of fellow judging by his voice."Welcome to the service, Novice Ral-Jille. We're the Empires eyes and ears in the provinces."

"At least you're not assassins..."I mumbled. Caius quickly dismissed the comment, a feat easily achieved when dealing with reptilian species.

"You can use my bed if you need to rest."

_Is he trying to mate with me?_ I wondered. It was a humorous and disturbing thought at the same time. Not that he could ever succeed mind.

"Just leave the rest of my personal stuff alone unless I tell you otherwise. You can improve your skills with our blades trainers if you choose, though it will still cost you some septims. Or if you're in a hurry, I can give you your orders right now."

"I would like to get my orders now, sir."I replied quietly. His attitude was reminding me a little too much of my days enslaved to the Dunmer. Completely out of the blue, he pulled a pouch off his bed and threw it at me. Surprised, I threw my claws into the air to grab it. It made a delightful sound – the sound of money.

"There are two hundred drakes in there. Treat yourself to some equipment."he told me. Caius sounded like he was making a suggestion, not an order. "And get yourself a covert identity. Join a faction – or do freelance work. The Fighters and Mages guilds are always looking for new recruits – as are the Imperial Cult and Imperial Legion. There's also House Hlaalu...but that's a political job. I wouldn't strongly recommend it. When you're ready for your real assignment, come see me."

"Thank you, sir."

The first thing I did was head for Trade Street – I suspected most of the organisations and businesses could be found there. Would you believe I was right? The Fighters Guild was easy to find – indeed it was the first building I ran into. It was a little stuffy inside and very confined – a young Imperial woman and a middle aged Redguard could both be found within. The Redguard appeared to be an armourer of sorts, for he was busy mending a steel cuirass. The cuirass was being held firmly to a barrel as he hammered it with a large, iron hammer. The Imperial seemed to be busy searching through a chest and neither paid any heed to my entrance. I slipped past them and climbed the stairs to the right hand side of the entrance. Another woman was there, doing nothing in particular. She was a Nord.

"Excuse me?"

"Yes, stranger?"

Well, she seemed polite enough.

"Who do I see about joining the Guild?"I asked, staring at her.

"That'd be me friend. You look like you can take care of yourself...well Argonian, if you'd just review the charter..."After a few tedious minutes of reading and re-reading the guild laws, I finally managed to sign up. I was even given my first job – go see Draryne Thelas and handle her cave rat infestation. Following that, I sought out House Hlaalu. The guards were very helpful in directed me to the Hlaalu manor and I also got my first job from them – steal some alchemical recepies.

_Greeeeat..._ I thought. _I'm a criminal again._

Now though, I had some cave rats to handle...

**A/N: Ooh...the suspense is killing you, isn't it? I would of made this chapter longer, but this is just about as far I've gotten in the game with my new character. So, you'll have to wait a little bit for the next chapter – but it is coming.. When I go back for the re-write, I'll add more detail to the Hlaalu search. It wasn't exactly thrilling being a twenty second walk from the guild to manor though, heh.**

**Astelan: ooh, my first reviewer! And it's positive! Glad you liked the opening. I'm afraid future chapters will have longer gaps between them going up though – I pretty much had these two ready. Enjoy anyway!**


	3. Chapter 2

**The Elder Scrolls III**

**Morrowind**

**Heaven and Hell**

**Chapter II**

**Rats, Eggs and Guards – oh my!**

**A/N: From this point, if a character is detonated with a after their name(eg, dulnea), they are entirely of my creation – they do not exist, except in personal MODs.**

After I acquired my first orders, I decided to return to the Fighters Guild – just in time, everyone was going to bed. I noted there was a free bed and decided to use it, no doubt my contract was best to be carried out in the morning. I slept soundly, awaking at about nine o'clock in the morning. I asked the Redguard, whom had slept above me, where the best place to take breakfast was. He recommended The Eight Plates, a local bar – just down the road, by the small bridge between the two buildings.

It seemed that at some point in the night a storm had broken out – the sky was filled with dark clouds and rain pounded the floor mercilessly. Lightning flashed on the horizon, no doubt striking a high peak. The storms were not like those we had back in Argonia – they brought only coldness and no warmth. Swiftly, I bolted towards the bridge that connected the two local bars. Ducking under the right-most arch and opening a door, I stepped inside the Eight Plates. Following the corridor, I soon came to a spacious chamber. Tables and chairs littered the area, with a large bar at the top left-hand corner of the room. A middle aged Dunmer woman was behind the bar, polishing cups.

Moving across the room, I took a seat at one of the tables. The Dunmer woman glanced at me. She finished polishing a cup and moved over to the edge of the bar, opening the flap and moving over to my table.  
"Good day."she said warmly."I'm Dulnea Ralaal, publican of the Eight Plates here in Balmora. We rent beds, and I have a limited selection of goods(including meals and drinks)to barter."  
"May I sssseee a menu?"I asked, exaggerating my serpentish tongue. Dulnea frowned for a moment, before nodding and returning to the bar. Within a few minutes she had returned with a scroll. She handed it to me. Eager to eat, I rolled it open.

"Hmm...I'll have a slice of cooked rat meat with a small Kwama egg and...hmm, some Shein please."I said after a moments pause. Smiling, she took the menu from me and returned to the bar. As she returned with the meal laid out, I heard the door opening behind me. Several individuals walked in, including another Argonian.  
"Excuse me sir, that will be 13 drakes."I glanced up – it was Dulnea, she had laid the meal out on the table for me. Reaching to my side, I gently loosened the rope that held my money bag in place. Withdrawing 13 coins, I placed them in her now extended hand. She thanked me and returned to polishing her cups.

As I picked up my knife and fork, I took a moment to examine my surroundings. Three Dunmer had entered with the Argonian – one was dressed in expensive clothes, clearly of Dunmer make. The second was dressed in common clothes, bearing mild resemblance to Imperial clothing. The third was dressed in armour of the same design of the local guards. The Argonian was dressed in a green robe. Returning my attention to my meal, I cut into the rat meat with my knife. Cutting off a thick slice and piercing it with the fork, I deposited it into my mouth. Tearing into it with an array of powerful teeth, I failed to notice the Argonian was approaching my table.

"May I?"  
Almost choking on my food, I glanced up – her neatly cut claws were gripping the top of the chair. To all other races(except perhaps the Khajit), she appeared indifferent – to her fellow Argonians however, she was smiling warmly. Swallowing hard, I cleared my throat.  
"Certainly."I replied. Pulling the chair back, she sat down.  
"I am Jek-Ie."she told me.  
"Ral-Jille."I responded, inclining my head.  
"I'm sorry for interrupting, but it is rare to find another free Argonian in these parts."  
I let out a hiss-styled sigh.  
"Indeed."I replied."You are very well spoken for one of our kind."  
"Well...I...I don't know how to speak Argonian."She was an ex-slave then. Taken as a child, as opposed to myself being taken shortly after coming of age.  
"Ah."was all I could say.  
"Anyway,"she continued on a happier note."I'm with the Guild of Mages...visit sometime, I usually work with Ajira – I'm an Alchemist see. I've got to go now mind."  
"I will make a note to visit – I'm only next door, Fighters Guild."I smiled at her and bid her farewell. She rose and exited the building swiftly.

After finishing my breakfast and returning it to Dulnea, I exited the Eight Plates. The storm, whilst still pretty much in full force, seemed to of lightened a little. Asking a nearby local for directions, I quickly crossed the river and found Thelas' house. I gently rapped on the door. Almost instantly, an elderly Dunmer woman opened the door.  
"Are you the one they sent to take care of the rats?"she asked coolly.  
"Yes, ma'am."I replied. She eyed me for a moment, before stepping aside.  
"Come in."she told me. Stepping into her small room, the first thing I observed was a large stack of pillows.  
"This rats are such a nuisance!"she cried suddenly."I'm worried they'll eat all my pillows! You like pillows, don't you?"  
_Delightful...she's crazy..._ I thought.  
"Anyway, I've gone one trapped in my bedroom and two in the storeroom upstairs...rats that is, not pillows. "Here's the key to the storeroom."Taking it from her, I place it within my money pouch. Reaching for me sword at it's sheath, I manoeuvred round the dining table to open the bedroom door. Grasping it with my free hand, I threw it open.

A large cave rat stood in the doorway, eyeing me for a moment. It squeaked suddenly and dived at me. Instantly, I swung my sword at the beast, slicing it across it's stomach. Instantly, the creature fell down to the floor, dead. After informing Thelas it was dead, I promptly exited the house. Climbing up the outside staircase, I stopped in front of the door that led to the storeroom. Placing the key in the keyhole and turning it, I swiftly opened the door. Instantly, two rats dived at me – one granting me a nasty bite on my unprotected leg. Swinging my sword downwards, I decapitated the first beast. The second bit me violently on the ankle as I brought my sword down, stabbing it clean through. I sheathed my sword and picked up the beasts. After collecting my payment(100 drakes), I disposed of the rats by throwing them in the river. Slowly but surely, their corpses drifted down stream. Promptly, I returned to the Fighters Guild.

"So you killed the cave rats? Not bad...for you."  
Clearly, the guild steward(the Nord woman I now know to be Eydis)was not entirely impressed. "Ready for more orders?"I merely nodded in response.  
"Well, first,"she began"I'm promoting you to apprentice. Enjoy. Second, the Shulk Egg Mine is having difficulty with Egg Poachers. Her owner has hired us to kill them both – that's your job. It may sound silly but those eggs are one of the few things worth exporting."I thanked her and returned to the Guild quarters for an hours rest. I would awake at about two o'clock in the afternoon.

I headed up the river Odai after asking for directions, past the Stilt Strider. I quickly found the Shulk egg mine – two of the miners were outside and cautioned me that the Kwama foragers had a habit of attacking strangers. As we finished talking, the rain suddenly died down until it stopped all together. Looking up, I could see the sun slowly but surely breaking through a thinning layer of cloud. Returning to my duties, I entered the mine.

The mine entrance itself was a small, cramped cave held up be rough wooden support beams. It was very dark within the mine, the only light source being the cracks in the doors and a torch of sorts up ahead. As I moved through the cave, I was surprised to discover the light actually came from glowing egg sacks. A large, four legged beast guarded the eggs – I assumed it was a Kwama worker, as the miners explained earlier. I was attacked by three worm creatures – Kwama foragers – as I journeyed through the mine. I was directed to the Mining Camp and eventually to the inner mine by the miners.

The second I entered the inner mine region, two Dunmer charged at me – a man and a woman. Both were wielding pick axes and were well conditioned by years of mining themselves. I raised my sword to block a blow from the woman and narrowly avoided a blow from the man. I was caught several times by their axes – I managed to dispatch the woman swiftly, followed quickly by the man. Between them, they had acquired ten Kwama eggs. Leaving their bodies to rot, I quickly made my way back out of the mine.

When I emerged at last, I winced for a moment. It was about 5 o'clock and the sky had cleared up entirely – white clouds were now the only remains of the storm. Quickly readjusting to the light, I made my way back to Balmora. I returned to Eydis and collected a reward of 100 septims and a promotion to Journeyman. She told me there were presently no jobs ready and to come back in a few days. I decided to rest up – I would deal with Hlaalu in the morning.

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I awoke at 7:00am. I ate breakfast at the Eight Plates again – this time just one piece of rat meat – before heading out to the Stilt Strider. For a fee of 42 coins I travelled to Vivec – I was outside the city's first canton for before noon. It took me a while to work out how to get inside, so I asked the Dunmer who organised boat trips to other cantons. He told me to go up the ramps and into the first door on the right. I did so, and found myself in the Foreign Quarter waterworks. Finding the alchemical shop I needed, I entered. The owner greeted me warmly – I requested to browse her wares. She happily obliged. I went to open a scroll on a table and she told me that it was off limits. I said nothing, I merely moved round the table, blocking it from view. I started asking about acquiring Vampire dusts and various types of Fire Salt. As we spoke, I quietly pocketed the scroll.  
"GUARDS!"_  
Damn! She saw me!  
_Hastily, I opened the door. Fleeing into the corridor, I noticed an Ordinator(a Vivec guard)quickly moving towards me. By sheer luck, I managed to hide the scroll without him seeing. He gave me three options: pay 90 gold, go to jail or resist arrest. The first sounded the most inviting. Giving him 90 gold, I waited for him to leave before withdrawing the scroll. I ran for it just as the owner of the alchemy shop emerged.

For another 42 gold to Balmora, this trip was proving expensive. Upon arrival, storm clouds were once again threatening the city. I made my way back to the House Hlaalu council house and spoke immediately to their leader, Nileno, who took the formulas from me. To my dismay, she offered no payment for my loss of almost 200 gold! One good thing did come of it however – I was promoted to Retainer. I returned to the Fighters guild.

At the Fighters Guild, I spent the rest of the day conversing with my fellow guild members and practising my skills in the training room at the back. I did go out briefly to purchase a blank book from the local book store, which I intended to use as a personal journal. In the morning, I would begin my work for the Blades, now that I felt I had developed sufficient cover.

**A/N: I hope you enjoy this chapter – I myself do not think it a very good one. I've been planning out the parts of the story I control. Some side plots that are of my own make will start cropping up soon.**


End file.
